Funds For Methane To Markets

The EPA said today that it's making up to seven million dollars available to advance clean-energy technology. The agency said the funds will support Methane to Markets - an effort to reduce global methane emissions through capture-and-use projects in oil and gas systems, coal mining, landfills and animal-waste management. The EPA expects to offer grants ranging from about $100,000 to $700,000 for up to 40 projects that include technology transfers and demonstrations, feasibility studies, training and capacity building, information clearinghouses and improved emissions estimates. Various institutions are eligible - including international governments, universities, and public and private non-profit groups. By 2015, the partnership has the potential to reduce methane emissions by 50 million metric tons of carbon equivalent annually b comparable to planting 55 million acres of trees or recovering 500 billion cubic feet of natural gas, according to the EPA.

Methane - a powerful greenhouse gas - has 20 times the potential than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. As the primary component of natural gas, methane is a valuable and clean-burning energy resource, according to experts. Partnering nations include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine and Vietnam.